China has intensified inspections of poultry meat from the United
States after finding two batches of US frozen chicken imports were
contaminated by E. coli O157 -- a bacterium that causes bloody
diarrhoea. The country has suspended imports of meat from a US
company with a registered code of p-7987, the State General
Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and
Quarantine said in its latest notice on poultry products.
The notice did not specify the name of the US meat processor.
Poultry exporters are usually identified by registered codes,
according to Tan Zhanglong, a division director of the quarantine
authorities in Huizhou of South China's Guangdong Province.
But Tan, whose agency detected and destroyed the contaminated
products earlier this month, said yesterday that the 23.5-ton batch
of infected frozen chicken legs were shipped from South
Carolina.
This is the second time in a month that the Chinese agency has
found the same pathogen in US poultry products, Tan said.
In
early December, the agency discovered a 24.4-ton batch of frozen
chicken wings shipped from Atlanta were contaminated, Tan said.
The frozen products were then burnt and buried in line with Chinese
quarantine rules, he said.
Chicken meat is popular in the Chinese diet, and consumers prefer
many cuts that are of less demand in other markets such as feet,
wings and offal.
US
poultry meat exports to the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region were valued at US$357.6 million
between January and November, making this combined market a leading
destination for US exports, said John Wade, a senior agriculture
attache with the US Embassy in Beijing.
The foul poultry issue has been given close attention from the
United States.
"We are working to address the concerns of the Chinese food safety
agency regarding a recent shipment of US chicken wingtips," said
Joe Bookbinder, a spokesperson for the US Embassy. "We have
requested additional information from the Chinese Government,
including Chinese regulations regarding tolerance of E. coli."
He
said that the US Department of Agriculture inspects all raw poultry
sold in the United States and exported to all countries by law.
(China
Daily January 28, 2002)